Lodestar with Tamzin and Finola

Jason Allen-Paisant is a Jamaican scholar, poet and writer. His work explores how Afro-diasporic artists and communities shape their futures through embodied philosophies, focusing on the intersections of poetry and philosophy. His second book of poems, Self-Portrait as Othello won two of the most prestigious poetry prizes in the world: both the Forward Prize and the T.S. Eliot Prize – a rare feat. His debut collection, Thinking with Trees won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Poetry and was named a Book of the Year by The Irish Times. His stunning memoir The Possibility of Tenderness: A Jamaican Memoir of Plants and Dreams was published last year, to critical acclaim. Jason is also Professor of Critical Theory and Creative Writing at the University of Manchester. In this rich conversation, Jason speaks about the silence of rural Jamaica during his childhood, how he learnt so many languages, the importance of dismantling the need for external validation, and how even finding 10 minutes to write really counts! You can check out Jason's work here: https://jasonallenpaisant.com/ and connect with him on Instagram: @jallenpaisantAbout your hosts:Tamzin Merivale is a visual artist and writer, on a mission to explore diverse stories and to guide people to process their life experiences through art. Tamzin’s visual art facilitates people in their quest to unearth their true, powerful selves — work which is unique and transformational. Tamzin’s writing was recently published in the New York Times best-selling memoir The Book of Alchemy (2025) by Suleika Jaouad, alongside Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Gilbert, Salman Rushdie and more. Subscribe to Tamzin’s Newsletter here or follow her on Instagram @tamzinmerivale.Finola Merivale is a composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, based between France and Ireland. She is currently a 2025–26 Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. Her music has been described as “edgy and discomforting, yet exciting and distinctive,” and "a wild ride." Finola completed her DMA in Composition at Columbia University. Recent accolades include fellowships from MacDowell (2025) and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2024), a 2025 Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland and an award from the New York Council on the Arts. Her music has been performed internationally. Follow Finola on Instagram @finolamerivale.Audio editing and production by Finola MerivaleMusic by Finola Merivale

In this Creativity Challenge episode, Tamzin and Finola discuss whether or not they embraced the idea of "boredom." In the last episode, GRAMMY-nominated composer Emma O'Halloran pulled a card from the Oblique Strategies card deck – a deck full of creative prompts designed by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. The card that came up for our challenge was "Do Something Boring." The sisters have NOT had a boring fortnight (moving countries and many concerts amongst other things)! Nevertheless, they sat down to discuss how they did find some boredrom and what aspects of their creative jobs are truly boring. Tamzin discusses her beautiful walks by the sea and Finola considers simplicity in the music she is writing. They talk about the importance of presence, mindfulness and avoiding our screens, to boost creativity. Finola has now given herself the challenge of really bringing down her phone-time, and she will report back next time for accountability!In other news: Finola has just released her album, Abhaile, with Catherine Sikora, for saxophone and electronics! It is released on Fort Evil Fruit. Every little helps; if you can support for the low cost of €8, please go here. About your hosts:Tamzin Merivale is a visual artist and writer, on a mission to explore diverse stories and to guide people to process their life experiences through art. Tamzin’s visual art facilitates people in their quest to unearth their true, powerful selves — work which is unique and transformational. Tamzin’s writing was recently published in the New York Times best-selling memoir The Book of Alchemy (2025) by Suleika Jaouad, alongside Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Gilbert, Salman Rushdie and more. Subscribe to Tamzin’s Newsletter here or follow her on Instagram @tamzinmerivale.Finola Merivale is a composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, based between France and Ireland. She is currently a 2025–26 Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. Her music has been described as “edgy and discomforting, yet exciting and distinctive,” and "a wild ride." Finola completed her DMA in Composition at Columbia University. Recent accolades include fellowships from MacDowell (2025) and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2024), a 2025 Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland and an award from the New York Council on the Arts. Her music has been performed internationally. Follow Finola on Instagram @finolamerivale.Audio editing and production by Finola MerivaleMusic by Finola Merivale

Irish composer Emma O'Halloran was fresh off the plane from the GRAMMYs when we sat down with her to discuss her nomination for Best Opera Recording. She is the first woman composer from Ireland to be nominated for a GRAMMY in the classical field. Her two operas – Trade and Mary Motorhead – received international critical acclaim. They were called “remarkable,” by the Irish Independent, and the LA Times wrote that, “No Irish Opera has entered the standard repertory, but that is about to change.”In this enlightening conversation with Emma, we learn about the fascinating process of what it takes to create a modern opera. Emma talks about how she found her authentic musical voice through years of shedding and letting go of expectations and external pressure. In this chat she shares openly and honestly about unhealthy self-worth patterns in creative career paths, and how she has overcome it all with nervous system regulation, which she's so passionate about that she has just qualified as a breathwork instructor. We found this conversation so informative and uplifting and we know you will too. Make a cup of tea and tune in to what feels like a calming mentoring session from yet another fascinating artist. You can check out Emma's work and music here: www.emma-ohalloran.comAbout your hosts:Tamzin Merivale is a visual artist and writer, on a mission to explore diverse stories and to guide people to process their life experiences through art. Tamzin’s visual art facilitates people in their quest to unearth their true, powerful selves — work which is unique and transformational. Tamzin’s writing was recently published in the New York Times best-selling memoir The Book of Alchemy (2025) by Suleika Jaouad, alongside Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Gilbert, Salman Rushdie and more. Subscribe to Tamzin’s Newsletter here or follow her on Instagram @tamzinmerivale.Finola Merivale is a composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, based between France and Ireland. She is currently a 2025–26 Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. Her music has been described as “edgy and discomforting, yet exciting and distinctive,” and "a wild ride." Finola completed her DMA in Composition at Columbia University. Recent accolades include fellowships from MacDowell (2025) and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2024), a 2025 Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland and an award from the New York Council on the Arts. Her music has been performed internationally. Follow Finola on Instagram @finolamerivale.Audio editing and production by Finola MerivaleMusic by Finola Merivale

In this next Creativity Challenge episode, Tamzin and Finola sit down to discuss the task set for them by award-winning film-maker Payal Kapadia, called "Correspondence." For the challenge, the sisters created video letters for each other. Finola wrote her video letter from snowy Sweden and Tamzin made hers in Morocco. Tune in to hear about the process of creating these videos.Tamzin and Finola also reflect on their conversation with Payal, including how inspired they were by this writer-director's joy and enthusiasm to be working in her field, how Finola approached one of Payal's problem-solving games when composing, and how Tamzin now thinks she should show people drafts of her writing much earlier in the creative process! The sisters also have a podcast announcement: for the next couple of months, episodes will be released once every two weeks instead of weekly. You can follow Payal on Instagram: @payalkapadiafilmAbout your hosts:Tamzin Merivale is a visual artist and writer, on a mission to explore diverse stories and to guide people to process their life experiences through art. Tamzin’s visual art facilitates people in their quest to unearth their true, powerful selves — work which is unique and transformational. Tamzin’s writing was recently published in the New York Times best-selling memoir The Book of Alchemy (2025) by Suleika Jaouad, alongside Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Gilbert, Salman Rushdie and more. Subscribe to Tamzin’s Newsletter here or follow her on Instagram @tamzinmerivale.Finola Merivale is a composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, based between France and Ireland. She is currently a 2025–26 Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. Her music has been described as “edgy and discomforting, yet exciting and distinctive,” and "a wild ride." Finola completed her DMA in Composition at Columbia University. Recent accolades include fellowships from MacDowell (2025) and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2024), a 2025 Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland and an award from the New York Council on the Arts. Her music has been performed internationally. Follow Finola on Instagram @finolamerivale.Audio editing and production by Finola MerivaleMusic by Finola Merivale

Our dream guest today is a writer and director making history. Payal Kapadia won the Cannes Grand Prix in 2024 for her sublime film, “All We Imagine As Light,” which was hailed by The Guardian as “A triumph.” She was the sixth woman to ever win this award and it was the first Indian film to be submitted to the festival’s main competition in three decades. Her films are captivating audiences around the world and Payal was nominated for two Golden Globes, a BAFTA, and so many more. Her documentary, “A Night of Knowing Nothing,” won the L’œil d’Or award for Best Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. She is currently a Fellow at the Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris.Tamzin and Finola loved every minute of speaking with Payal, from hilarious behind-the-scenes stories on her film-sets in Mumbai, the importance and power of female friendship and so many amazing tools and games to unlock your creativity when you’re feeling stuck! Is Payal a morning person or a night-owl? When she was a little kid, what did she dream of being when she grew up? And what creativity challenge does she have in store for us? Find out all this and more!You can follow Payal on Instagram: @payalkapadiafilmAbout your hosts: Tamzin Merivale is a visual artist and writer, on a mission to explore diverse stories and to guide people to process their life experiences through art. Tamzin’s visual art facilitates people in their quest to unearth their true, powerful selves — work which is unique and transformational. Tamzin’s writing was recently published in the New York Times best-selling memoir The Book of Alchemy (2025) by Suleika Jaouad, alongside Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Gilbert, Salman Rushdie and more. Subscribe to Tamzin’s Newsletter here or follow her on Instagram @tamzinmerivale.Finola Merivale is a composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, based between France and Ireland. She is currently a 2025–26 Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. Her music has been described as “edgy and discomforting, yet exciting and distinctive,” and "a wild ride." Finola completed her DMA in Composition at Columbia University. Recent accolades include fellowships from MacDowell (2025) and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2024), a 2025 Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland and an award from the New York Council on the Arts. Her music has been performed internationally. Follow Finola on Instagram @finolamerivale.Audio editing and production by Finola MerivaleMusic by Finola Merivale

Content Warning: In this episode, self-harm and torture are mentioned at approximately the 29:00 mark. “We in journalism say that whatever happens, you have to stay alive.”In this episode, we speak with the extraordinary Hanna Liubakova, an exiled journalist and political analyst from Belarus. Widely regarded as a leading voice in the free press, Hanna is a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and has written about developments in Belarus for international outlets including The Washington Post, The Economist, and others. Liubakova began her career at Belsat TV, the only independent Belarusian television channel, banned by the regime in Minsk. She is now living in Paris where she is a journalist in residence at Reid Hall.In this powerful and candid interview, Hanna discusses homelessness, the period after she was tried in absentia and sentenced to ten years in prison, and finding joy in the little things. She gives us a glimpse into her book-in-progress, Exiled Voice: Preserving Belarus’ Story under contract with Bloomsbury. And she gives us our next Creativity Challenge!You can follow Hanna on X: @HannaLiubakovaTamzin Merivale is a visual artist and writer, on a mission to explore diverse stories and to guide people to process their life experiences through art. Tamzin’s visual art facilitates people in their quest to unearth their true, powerful selves — work which is unique and transformational. Tamzin’s writing was recently published in the New York Times best-selling memoir The Book of Alchemy (2025) by Suleika Jaouad, alongside Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Gilbert, Salman Rushdie and more. Subscribe to Tamzin’s Newsletter here or follow her on Instagram @tamzinmerivale.Finola Merivale is a composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, based between France and Ireland. She is currently a 2025–26 Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. Her music has been described as “edgy and discomforting, yet exciting and distinctive,” and "a wild ride." Finola completed her DMA in Composition at Columbia University. Recent accolades include fellowships from MacDowell (2025) and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2024), a 2025 Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland and an award from the New York Council on the Arts. Her music has been performed internationally. Follow Finola on Instagram @finolamerivale.Audio editing and production by Finola MerivaleMusic by Finola Merivale

Our amazing guest last week, pianist-composer Michael Stephen Brown, gave hosts Tamzin and Finola Merivale their first Creativity Challenge: Set your timer for 5 minutes and write about memories you might be forgetting.Inspired by Michael, Finola dove into her own memories of piano performance – from inspiring first teachers to distressing exams – while Tamzin reflected on old homes and the significance of our doorways and keys.Meet your hosts, the sister-duo Tamzin and Finola:Tamzin Merivale is a visual artist and writer, on a mission to explore diverse stories and to guide people to process their life experiences through art. Tamzin’s visual art facilitates people in their quest to unearth their true, powerful selves — work which is unique and transformational. Tamzin’s writing was recently published in the New York Times best-selling memoir The Book of Alchemy (2025) by Suleika Jaouad, alongside Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Gilbert, Salman Rushdie and more. Subscribe to Tamzin’s Newsletter here or follow her on Instagram @tamzinmerivale.Finola Merivale is a composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, based between France and Ireland. She is currently a 2025–26 Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. Her music has been described as “edgy and discomforting, yet exciting and distinctive.” Finola completed her DMA in Composition at Columbia University. Recent accolades include fellowships from MacDowell (2025) and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2024), a 2025 Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland and an award from the New York Council on the Arts. Her music has been performed internationally. Follow Finola on Instagram @finolamerivale.Connect with Michael Stephen Brown: @michael_stephen_brown

In this episode we sit down with Michael Stephen Brown, the New York‑based pianist‑composer hailed by The New York Times as “a leading figure in the renaissance of composer‑performers” and celebrated for his “fearless performances.” A graduate of The Juilliard School, Michael has been awarded many accolades including an Emerging Artist Award from Lincoln Center and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. He shares the story behind his witty “Breakup Etude for the Right Hand Alone,” a piece that appears on his new album Twelve Blocks, which was just released, and he reflects on what success truly means to him.Tune in to hear about Michael’s rituals for creativity, the not-so-glamorous truth about performing internationally, the isolation and connection of composing music and How to Name Your Piano. Also, we announce our very first Creativity Challenge!To learn more about Michael you can follow him @michael_stephen_brown on Instagram. And check out his new album here.Tamzin Merivale is a visual artist and writer, on a mission to explore diverse stories and to guide people to process their life experiences through art. Tamzin’s visual art facilitates people in their quest to unearth their true, powerful selves — work which is unique and transformational. Tamzin’s writing was recently published in the New York Times best-selling memoir The Book of Alchemy (2025) by Suleika Jaouad, alongside Gloria Steinem, Elizabeth Gilbert, Salman Rushdie and more. Subscribe to Tamzin’s Newsletter here or follow her on Instagram @tamzinmerivale.Finola Merivale is a composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, based between France and Ireland. She is currently a 2025–26 Fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. Her music has been described as “edgy and discomforting, yet exciting and distinctive.” Finola completed her DMA in Composition at Columbia University. Recent accolades include fellowships from MacDowell (2025) and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2024), a 2025 Music Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland and an award from the New York Council on the Arts. Her music has been performed internationally. Follow Finola on Instagram @finolamerivale.Audio editing and production by Finola MerivaleMusic by Finola Merivale